A Missing Love
by Iceman12318
Summary: This follows directly after the episode "To Love and Die in LA". Contains spoilers for season 3 at this point.
1. Chapter 1

**So this is a fanfiction to take place on the plane right after "To Love and Die in LA" ends. The story is mine, but the characters everything about them belongs to Andrew Marlowe. I am not receiving money, just entertainment, for writing this. Please Read and review as this is my first FF and I would like to know how it is, and any tips are always welcome. Hope you enjoy**

Kate folds her letter up and places it in her pocket. She thought about that last sentence. "The last thing you want is to look back on your life and wonder, if only". She looks at the man sleeping next to her and thinks of where she would be without him. She would probably be dead. He had saved her a few times before; like the champagne bottle distraction against the African killer 2 years ago. He had even risked himself and ran through her apartment while it was on fire to rescue her. He even had stopped a nuclear disaster from destroying New York.

She smiles and reaches out and grabbes his hand, interlocking fingers. She is surprised at her actions as this is a big step for her. It is unlike her, but something about him brings it out in her. He can get her to admit things she would never tell anyone else, like how she likes him following her, pulling her pigtails. He makes the job easier and even last night she admitted to him that she was attracted to him.

The sleeping writer awakenes to see her holding his hand and is surprised. He turns and smiles at the detective. She returns his smile with one of her own.

"If only I could wake up each and every day to that beautiful smile of yours. Stunning"

If it's possible, she's smiling even more now. She leans in, captivated by his words and the unspoken attraction the both of them now feel. So close he catches a hint of her cherry aroma. He can't help but gravitate towards her, as she him. As she closes the gap between them, he steals her breathe away, with the intention of replacing it with his lips. She is almost touching lips, staring directly into the full brightness of his blue eyes. They goes past his cheeks and up to his ear "I told you…you have no idea", she whispers, biting her bottom lip.

He shivers from head to toe from the electricity now bolting from her words to his heart.

She smiles at his reaction. It's always fun for her to see his reaction from her flirting for a change.

"About that…" he says, "…how about we…" DING! The captain illuminates the cabin for everyone to return to their seats and they are about to land effectively breaking their flirtatious conversation.

She laughs at his clear frustration from not being able to finish saying what he really wanted. That happened more often than not. They always seem to be interrupted right at the worst possible moment. Maybe it was better that way

They begin to gather their things and prepare to land and exit the plane. "Castle, this trip wasn't easy. Thank you for being there and helping me through this."

He looks at her and can tell this is one of those rare moments where she really meant that. He returns her honesty "Always", he replies, accompanied by a smile.

"You know, it wouldn't be a bad idea of you came along on the next vacation. Maybe the next one won't have a murder to solve"

"Well I do have a place at the Hamptons. Would you like to accompany me detective?" he replies, not even stopping to think of what he just proposed. He just invited her to the Hamptons. He is so caught up in her, everything about her, that he lost all reason and logic, and was powerless to her charm. She could make him weak in the knees and the man of steel all at the same time. She had that kind of effect on him.

This seems oddly familiar, she thought. He had invited her to the Hamptons once before. It didn't go that well, Gina, his ex-wife, had seen to that. Showing up just as she was getting ready to accept Castle's invitation, and tell him how she felt. She had broken up with her boyfriend Tom Demming for him, and he rejected her without even knowing it. To her, he had made his decision. But that was then, this is now. This time, there's no ex-wife to get in the way.

Noticing her hesitation, "Unless Josh would have a problem with that…"

Oh yeah, Josh. She hadn't given him a single thought since she left for LA. It was so easy for her to get caught up in work and caught up in Castle that she had forgotten all about her current boyfriend. She had a dead-end relationship with someone she doesn't love. She has the possibility to have an amazing relationship with someone she spends every day with. It seems horrible to break it off with him just to go be with Castle. She had done this exact thing before, and it didn't end the way she wanted it to. She had been hurt and he didn't even realize it. He didn't mean to. She had hinted about going somewhere with Demming all along. Maybe it was her indecisiveness that caused that situation to end badly. She knew Castle and knew what kind of person he was. But then again, he was 'always' there and 'always' will be. Maybe that was what she needed. Someone she could depend on, and go through things with. Not always having to do it her stubborn way. A change may be in order.

"Well I don't think Josh will be a problem. I'd love to go. But only on one condition"

"What's that?"

"No ex-wives this time?"

"You have my word"

**Please let me know what you think. This is my first FF and would love some feedback.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Again, the characters are not mine and I do not own the show Castle, just a fan. Here is the second chapter to the story. This chapter has a little flirty banter but nothing too extravagant. I promise it will pick up soon.**

They land and head to baggage claim, Castle is busy talking away about his house, how she will love it, and how much fun they are going to have. He is thrilled to have the girl of his dreams coming with him to the Hamptons. He is so caught up in the thought of going; he doesn't notice Beckett busy texting away on her phone.

She hears him, but isn't listening. She doesn't have to. His voice is calming, and soothing like an expensive massage. She could listen to him go on forever. She was texting Lanie about her upcoming trip that spontaneously got planned.

**-hey, just landed back in JFK**

**-hey! How was your vacay with writer boy?**

**-better than I thought. guess what I just agreed to?**

**-a week off of work and a weekend for two at the spa?**

**-No haha. A weekend in the Hampton's with Castle**

**-Wow that is pretty surprising. What about Josh?**

**-Don't think its going to work out with us. He's great, but its too hard to spend time together.**

**-very true. You and castle are a much better match. We've all been waiting for this for a long time!**

**-We aren't together. We'll just see how this weekend goes. **

**-Well just saying… Its about time you guys were together. Go for it Kate!**

**-Thanks. Do me a favor and keep this between us?**

**-Of course! C u soon!**

After leaving baggage claim they start to head to the street to hail a taxi. Just as they get ready to walk outside, Kate still looking down at her phone bumps into someone

"I'm sorry I wasn't paying…."

"Kate? "

"Josh, what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing"

"It's….uhh…it's a long story"

Castle sensing the awkwardness, "I'll just give you guys a minute" He steps away a few feet, deciding to force himself not to eavesdrop by calling Alexis. Maybe talking to her will distract him from a conversation he knew he wanted to hear.

"Care to give me the short version? I've been calling you for days, trying to get ahold of you.

"We were catching my friend's murderer in LA. Where are you going?"

"Somalia, for Doctors without Borders"

"Off to save the world again?"

"Yeah pretty much"

"Listen, we need to talk. I know you're a great guy, but this is way too hard. We shouldn't have to struggle so much just to spend time with each other. I wish this could work out but I just don't think it can. I'm sorry"

"You're right. It is too hard. We both deserve better. Besides, I think I know what you've been after all along"

"And what is that?"

"Apparently you found it in LA"

She paused, turned and faced Castle. Still on the phone, he gave her a glance, searching her expression to make sure everything was ok. Her smile reassured him, she turned back around, stares at the ground blushing and pushing her hair back around her ear

"Yeah…" she replies, "...I guess I did"

Back at the 12th everything has quieted down with Royce's murder solved. The week goes by, and no new murders. It's Thursday and Castle hasn't been there all week. Beckett missed his quirks and his wild theories. She just missed him in the chair beside her desk. It made her uneasy to see that chair empty. Esposito and Ryan seem to be waiting for Beckett to tell them something. She set a few folders down on her desk, put her hands on her hips and glared at the two of them. She let a long sigh escape and rolled her eyes.

"What?"

"We were just wondering if you had any plans this weekend" Esposito said with the worst poker face imaginable.

Beckett glares at the duo, "Who told you?"

"Told us what?" Ryan responds, "we just thought that this weekend you might have some special plans like oh, I don't know, going somewhere with someone…?"

"No, I don't have any plans, and even if I were, how is it your business who I…" she pauses mid-sentence like she forgot was she was saying, something had caught her eye. She sees him walking off the elevator and towards the now speechless detective. The one person in the world who can take her breathe away and give her new life.

"Yeah you're right, it's definitely none of our business" Ryan says over her shoulder, walking behind her, laughing at her being caught with her foot-in-her-mouth.

"Good Afternoon detective" he says as he places a warm, fresh cup of coffee in her hand. He loved to hand her a warm cup of joy. He did it just to see that beautiful smile illuminate her and give a glimpse of the wonderful personality she so desperately attempted to conceal.

"Hey Castle, what are you doing here? There haven't been any cases all week. Finally here to do your share of paper work?"

"Ha, only if by do it, you mean completely ignore it" he jokes, but actually serious "No, truth be told, I had a bit of writers block so I thought I'd come down here and see if there was a murder I could distract myself with"

"Sorry Castle, no dead bodies to distract yourself with today. We've been pretty murder free this week; it's a nice change of pace. I can get home at a decent hour." Kate is standing over her desk, moving things around, organizing the endless stacks of paper work. Castle comes over and sits in his chair next to her desk, which always grabbed her attention, at least for a second. And he knew it too, because he always cracked a half smile and observed her after sitting down, unless something was wrong.

"That must be quite a change for you. No murders…and you? Getting home at a decent hour? The world must be coming to an end. Just be ready for more murders when the zombies rise from their graves"

"Ok, but even if zombies existed, I wouldn't be worried, because unlike you, I…" she slams a stack of papers right by him "…have a gun"

"Hmm…good point. Looks like I'll have to be very close to you when this goes down"

"I don't think you'll have to worry about it for quite some time Castle" she jokes.

Their flirtatious banter always got the better of them both, and even on the topic of something as crazy as zombies got them flustered and blushing. They found such comfort in those conversations. At certain points in extremely hard cases it was a great break and quite soothing for their nerves like a therapeutic bubble bath.

"So…" he says, seizing the moment of attraction between them. She looked just to the left, inquisitively his way. "Are we still going to the Hamptons for vacation this weekend?"

"Castle, I don't know. Wouldn't that make it look like we were dating or something? Me going with you to the Hamptons for the weekend? I mean, Ryan and Esposito already know. I think it would be a little weird."

"Wait…How do they know?" He pauses for a second and looks at Beckett.

"Lanie" they both say at the same time, smiling at their mutual thoughts they so often had.

"Are you suggesting that dating me would be so bad?"

"Of course not, it's just that…"

"Look, if you want to go to the Hamptons, then go. Don't worry about what everyone else thinks. This is your decision. If you want to go, go. If not, then don't. It's not like my place in the Hamptons is going anywhere" He pauses "at least I hope not."

She smiled at the immaturity in his tone, and said "you know what? Yeah, let's do it"

"Great. I'll pick you up from work tomorrow afternoon"

**Hope everyone is liking where this story is going. Let me know any thoughts or anything. I promise that where the story goes from here will surprise you.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Again, I don't own it. Just an avid fan and writer. Thanks to everyone for reading and following along. Please don't hesitate to let me know what you think.**

She thought about that kiss and relived that moment. She had been thinking so hard of a way to get pass this guard to save their friends that the last thing she expected was his lips capturing hers. There was so much passion in that few moments she was forced to breathe harder and harder. He literally stole her breathe away. If that was an idea of what it would be like to be with Richard Castle, she was looking forward to it.

Kate got up and went to the break room for some water from the vending machine. She had to cool down from her thoughts, as they were getting her worked up.

Kate's legs found their way back to her chair, but her mind was on the empty chair next to her desk. She also couldn't help but be annoyed at Castle for sneaking away, avoiding doing any of his share in paper work. She smiled to herself knowing that was his style.

He had told her that he was going to tell the girls at home about their trip. She was going to object to it, but she knew they would be fine with it, and probably help him plan a better trip than what he could plan on his own, even though doing over the top things was his M.O.

He thought the exact same thing, as they usually do. This was his chance to finally win her over, and be with her. He always had to claw his way through her rocky and abrasive exterior to find the precious gem he knew lay beneath. She has always fought him tooth and nail, but now it seems as though she is letting him in a little bit each day. She is different than all the women he had previously been with. She is amazing, strong, and smarter than anyone he has met. Yet at the same time he had seen her be tender, smooth, and loving. Not to mention she is the most beautiful thing his two eyes had ever have the pleasure of seeing. She turned his world upside down.

He has to have something grand planned. Something spectacular to show her how much she really meant to him. If he could, he would give her the world, the moon, and all the stars. To him, she deserves all that and more.

Walking through his front door, Martha is making dinner for everyone and Castle comes in with a wide grin on his face. "What's got you in such a good mood kiddo?"

"Oh nothing, just looking forward to a weekend in the Hamptons with Detective Beckett"

"You're kidding! That's fantastic"

Alexis chimes in coming to the kitchen from her bedroom upstairs, "you're going to the Hamptons with Detective Beckett?"

"Yes I am" he ignorantly states with a smile

"What do you have planned?"

"I'm not sure quite yet, but I think I have a little something planned."

"You have to have more than a little something planned. This is Detective Beckett. You have to do something big"

"She's right darling, you have to dazzle her" Martha chimes in, throwing her arms over her head

So much for getting ideas from the girls. "I'll think of something guys" he says as his phone starts ringing.

"Could that be the lady herself? Perhaps another lovely murder is what you need to come up with something"

"Actually no, I'm not sure who it is." He replies. "This is Castle" he answers as he walks away to his office.

Alexis looks inquisitively at Martha, hoping she knew who it was, but she shrug her shoulders and went on making dinner for everyone.

**I promise that the next chapter will have more in it. Just trying to build anticipation and suspense. Hope everyone enjoyed it!**


	4. Chapter 4

**As promised, the plot thickens! Hope you all enjoy. Only one way to let me know what you think. Please rate and review**

The next day Castle packs and just bides his time until he can go get his partner for their weekend getaway. Just before he walks out the door, he gets another phone call, the same number as last night. He decides not to answer it. He grabs his bags, tells Martha goodbye, and leaves a note for Alexis to read after school. Just before he gets into the car, he gets another phone call, same number, and silences the ring. He hops in the car and heads towards the 12th.

At the precinct, Beckett is finishing up her stacks upon stacks of paper work just as fast as she can, hoping no one out there has the idea of committing murder today. She has made a point to not look at the clock so the day will go by faster. "So, any special plans for your weekend away?" Ryan asks

"No, nothing that I'm aware of. Just being away from you is special enough" she jokes.

"What time is he supposed to come and get you?" Esposito questions

"5. Why?"

"Beckett…"she turns and looks at Espo "…its 5:30, where the hell could he be?"

It wasn't like Castle to be late. Even if he was late, he usually called. She thinks to herself that he's probably just running late, and stuck in traffic. He should be along shortly. Twenty more minutes go by and still no Castle. She decides to find out where he is. She calls him from her speed-dial; it rings a few times and goes straight to voicemail. Something is up. She catches Ryan and Espo just as they are getting ready to go home for the day "Hey guys, have you heard from Castle today at all?"

"Yeah" Espo replies, "He was asking this morning what your favorite flower was. Why?"

"Well he was supposed to be here to pick me up and I haven't heard from him all day."

"Try calling his mom, I'm sure she knows where he is."

"Yeah I'll try that. Thanks" Both Ryan and Esposito are standing with Beckett in the foyer just in front of the elevator, waiting to make sure she gets ahold of him. After all, he was their friend too, and they were starting to get concerned just as Beckett had.

"Detective, what kind of trouble has my son gotten you into now?"

"Hi Martha, have you heard from Castle recently?"

"Why of course darling, last I saw him he was rushing out the door to get you about 3:00"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes im sure"

"ok thanks Martha"

"Is something wrong dear"

"No, it's just that I haven't heard from him all day. He never came to pick me up"

"Something must be wrong. It's not like Richard to not come get you."

"Yeah that doesn't sound like Martha, we'll find him"

Ryan and Esposito are waiting to hear the news from Martha, but all Kate could do was put her phone down, sit down and take a deep breathe. She can't imagine where he was. They weren't investigating anything, so what could he have gotten into?

"Yo Beckett, what'd she say" Esposito asks as him and his partner made their way to Beckett's Desk.

"She said that the last time she saw him, he was on his way here about 3:00"

Castle awakens in groggy haze. He can't really remember how he got here or where 'here' even is. Last thing he remembered, he was in his car on the way to the precinct to get Beckett for their weekend. He couldn't believe it. This was such bad timing. Getting kidnapped next week would've been fine, but nooooo. Just before his weekend with Beckett, something had to go wrong. Typical.

"Ok Castle, you're the writer, how would you have gotten here" he thinks to himself. "Probably drugged. Maybe that's that taste in my mouth." He swishes his tongue around his mouth and smacks his lips. "Yep, that's the taste of chloroform. Like a bunch of pennies rolling in your mouth"

He rolls off this make-shift bed with a wire frame and nearly hits his head on the sink on the wall next to it. He wonders why he isn't tied up or bound in any way. He looks around the room and sees a window. Higher than his reach can extend with bars surrounding it, and the glass looks pretty thick. It is probably too thick to call for help. Oh yeah call. He checks his pants for his cell phone or anything left in the pockets. Nothing left but lint. "Well this isn't going well" No time for foolish theories. It's all fun and games when he is doing it to annoy Beckett and the others, but this is a real situation. Time to be serious. He looks around the room for any clues to his location. The walls are covered in a white khaki paint that is peeling off, with rust layering on the walls that lie underneath. This place looks like a prison cell. Maybe he is on Alcatraz. How could he have gotten all the way to San Francisco? No way its Alcatraz. Maybe it is some abandoned prison in NYC. He jumps up to look out the window, holding on to it by the bars that guard it. Out the window he could see nothing but dirt, and fog. The window itself was old and dirty. Caked with a layer of dust.

"Why do they want me?" he wonders. There really isn't anything that he could've done, at least recently, to anger someone enough to kidnap him.

All of a sudden the door busts open and three men come in wearing ski masks. Castle immediately releases the window and stands tall and puffs his chest out. "Maybe a macho man style could make me seem formidable" he thinks. The taller guy in the middle lands a strong squared-up punch delivered right to Castle's stomach, causing him to instantly drop to his knees, coughing. "You didn't even ask me anything" he wheezes, looking up from his knees.

The tall man pounds Castle's left cheek with a strong right hook. Castle goes all the way down to the ground again, bleeding from his cheek. He expected another punch to the face, only to hear the sound of the door closing behind the men as they leave. He scrapes himself off the mud covered concrete floor and staggers to his feet. He wipes his check with his left hand revealing the crimson liquid dripping from his face. "Ok so the macho thing didn't help".

After all that transpired in the last minute, he stopped to think. I'm sure Beckett and the guys have started to look for me. Once he thought of her name, she was all he could think about. What he would give to be with her right now. To see her gorgeous smile, with her warming personality would be ethereal. He started to think of how they are when they are together. She is now single, and after this, he has no excuse to not tell her how he feels. This dance they play has gone on far enough. No matter how she feels, she has to know. With the way she acts around him, he knew she would feel the same. Even if she didn't, it wouldn't matter. He could finally know where he stood with her

He sees a mirror on the wall just above a sink, close to the bed where he had awoken. He looks in it, gazing at the fresh gash on his face. "What have you gotten yourself into this time?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Here is the next chapter. I have written majority of the story a while ago and am just trying to go through it chapter by chapter to look over it. I will post more later. Thanks for everyone for following along. **

**Again, I don't own Castle or any of the characters. It would be awesome if I did. **

Beckett is on the way to Castle's loft to question Martha about Castle's disappearance and look for any indications of his whereabouts. During the questioning, Martha mentions strange phone calls that he got just before he left. It's weak, but it's a lead. Beckett whips out her phone to update the guys.

"Hey, look into Castle's phone records. Martha said that he had received a couple strange phone calls"

"Ok I'll call you back when I get something" Ryan responds.

Once she is off the phone, Beckett tells Martha goodbye and heads out the door. She closes it behind her, and leans against it, desperate to catch her breath. She still can't believe what is happening. She wipes the tear streaming down her cheek with her leather sleeve and tries to regain focus. She doesn't have time to get emotional, and neither does Castle.

She's in the elevator when her phone goes off. It doesn't even finish the first ring before she answers in her usual professional voice.

"Beckett"

It's Esposito "Yo we got a hit on the phone records. Records show he received multiple calls from a woman named Sharon White she lives on the Upper East Side. We're heading there now"

"Ok I'll meet you there. Text me that address" she responds. That was what she needed to snap her out of this emotional state, a lead. She has to be able to keep her composure and stay in her 'detective mode'. If she didn't, who knows when or if the person she lov-liked would be found. Whoa, she thought, did I almost just think that I love him? That thought scared her almost as much as not seeing him again.

She arrives at the apartment after the guys, who are already strapped up.

"Ms. White, NYPD, open up!" Esposito shouts, banging on the door. The next thing they see is Beckett kicking the door in, with her gun raised.

"Castle! Castle are you in here?!" Beckett yells with such concern, that her voice almost cracks.

"Clear!" Esposito yells from the back bedroom.

"Clear!" Ryan says from the kitchen. "He's not here. What were you doing?" He says looking at Beckett. She looks back at him confused. "If he was in here, they could've killed him just for kicking in the door. Plus we have no probable cause to come in here in the first place. Use your head!"

The place had white paint on the walls, and shutters open on the two windows not far from entrance, one of which were just hanging on by one hinge. Side tables and chairs alike were turned over; a closet was open with clothes strung out. Ryan in the kitchen kicked around a few pots and pans all along the white tile floor. Esposito looked around in the

She looks around the apartment. She knows he's right, but she doesn't want to admit it. They had better find something here because without probable cause, she could be in hot water, even from her long-time friend Captain Montgomery.

"Let's check the place and see if we can find anything"

Not even a minute later. Ryan shouts "Hey, over here!" everyone rushes over to see what he has found. Just in the coat closet, behind the chair next to entrance to the apartment, is a woman, sitting in the bottom of the closet. She is dead. Her skin is pale, eyes are bloodshot, her medium length dirty blonde hair no longer has the shine that it used to have in her photos. Beckett squats down to take a closer look at the woman. She turns to the guys. "I think we have our probable cause. It's Sharon White"


	6. Chapter 6

Back in Castle's cell, he is still trying to figure out what they want from him. He's trying to figure out what they want with him. "ok let's do this the Beckett way. I wasn't tied up, and they didn't ask me anything, just hit me right away, so they are going for intimidation. They want to intimidate me to get information from me. But what do they want to know?"

The door to his 'room' flies open, and now it's just one guy; the tall guy. Still wearing a ski mask, he brings a wooden chair in turns it backwards and sits down in it. He waves his hand toward the bed Castle woke up on motioning to him to sit down. "I'll stand thanks" he says sarcastically. The tall guy stands up and pummels Castle's torso for a second time, this time much harder than the first.

"No, I think you'll sit" the man says.

Castle coughing after that punch, "that was my second choice". He sits on the bed and examines the man sitting in front of him. He knows from experience that anything he can recognize now will help them ID this guy later. The man has a British accent. He notices a scar across the man's right forearm and a tattoo on his index finger of a pistol. Well that's not a good sign.

"What do you want from me?" He questions

"I just want to have a little chat with my favorite writer"

"What's wrong with sending an email?"

"No one's got time for that computer Shiite. I want something, and you're going to help me get it."

"What do you want?"

"A key"

"A key? What key?"

"A key that you and your NYPD blokes stole from me, and I want it back"

"What is the key for?" The tall guy jerks up in response and throws the chair against the wall, smashing it to pieces.

"I'm the one asking the questions!"

Castle swallows hard as he realizes, this guy is crazy, and very serious. So serious, he pulls out a knife. "Now you're going to give me that key, or I'll kill you, your mum, and your little girl!" Castle tries his hardest to keep his cool. Obviously this guy has been following him around and taking notes. "It's ok though" he thinks "Beckett has started to look for me, and once she starts, there is no stopping her". It was one of the things he loved about her.

"Look….."

"….call me George"

"George….there is no reason to hurt anyone. I can help you get you what you want. I can't do that, if I'm dead, so let's calm down, put down the knife, and talk about it"

"Alright pretty boy…" he says as he closes the knife and puts it back in his pocket, "…where's my key?"

Beckett and the team just finished their canvas of Sharon's building as CSU sweeps the place. They are standing just outside the apartment in the hall, looking over her notes from the interviews when Ryan comes out holding a bag with a broken red bottle in it.

"CSU found this during their sweep"

"That's one of bottles of whiskey from Jimmy Walker's secret stash we got from the Old Haunt. How did it get here?" she questions

Esposito comes from down the hall "Yo, turns out, it came from us." Beckett and Ryan look at him puzzled. "The NYPD put the bottles up for auction, going at about $3,000 a bottle. Considerably less than they were valued there was only thought to be one."

"If those bottles were going on auction, you know the first person who would know about it..?" Everyone looks at Beckett waiting for her to answer her own question. "…Castle".

The anticipation is killing her. She has to figure this out fast, or Castle may not be alive for too much longer. She can't lose him. She couldn't imagine her life without the writer by her side. She had made so many changes in her life due to Castle being there. Since he has been shadowing her, she felt little more at ease. She could laugh a little easier. She could have fun again. Things between them had just started to heat up. She had a slight taste of that heat on the plane ride back from LA, and like a sweet delicacy, she wanted more.

Beckett whips out her phone and calls Martha. It rings a few times. Martha answering the phone switches her back to Detective mode.

"Detective Beckett, what have you found out?"

"We don't know much yet, but let me ask you something. Did Castle buy a bottle of whiskey from the NYPD auction?"

"Why yes dear he did. He bought it just the other day for you for Christmas".

"Okay thanks Martha. We'll let you know what we find out" She hangs up the phone and turns to Ryan and Esposito. "Yep. Castle definitely got one"

"There has to be a connection between these bottles and our killer" Ryan says

"…and whoever killed Sharon has Castle" added Beckett.

The not-knowing made it difficult for her. She didn't know if he was dead somewhere like Sharon, or alive and just being held captive. It tore her stomach into twenty knots. She had to find something to make her feel better. There was nothing that was sold in a bottle, or sold at any drug store. There wasn't any product anywhere that could give her the satisfaction she so desperately desired. There was only one thing that could do that: Castle.

They took off to the precinct to gather more information about the auction. Upon arrival, the team went to their respective desks desperately searching for information about this auction they held.

"Yo! I got something" Esposito shouts, bringing Beckett and Ryan to his desk.

"It's a list of all the items sold from the auction. It says right here, twenty three bottles were sold to the American Museum of Natural History, one to Sharon White and one to Richard Castle." You guys go down there and talk to the people at the museum, I'll talk to Sharon's friends and see if I can find anything" Like a football huddle, everyone breaks at once and gets to work.

Beckett calls some of the people she had on her list to talk to, and nothing about Sharon's life seemed out of the ordinary. Usually there was at least some creepy guy following her, or some argument a few days ago. Something. She had absolutely no reason to die, so why would someone want to kill her? What was so special about those bottles? She decided to get a cup of coffee and try to think outside the box. Something Castle was usually good at.

As she walks back to her desk with her fresh cappuccino. She sought solace in the warm brown fluid. Castle could always make it the way she like it. Come to think of it, she had never told him how she liked it. He must've figured it out by trial and error.

She couldn't help but notice the empty chair next to her desk. Seeing the material and the dark colors of the cushion reminded her that there was no one sitting there. She couldn't help but sit at her desk and just stare at the empty seat. For so long, that chair in her life was always full. She never realized how lucky she was for someone to want to be there with her, through thick and thin. Sure she had some fights with Castle in the past. This was different. She needed him.

Then something broke her thought process, and gave her an idea. "What is so special in that bottle that he would be kidnapped for?" She pulls out her phone and calls Martha, as she races toward the precincts' elevator.


	7. Chapter 7

**Again, I want to thank everyone for following along. Don't hesitate to let me know what you think. **

**Also, I own nothing, just writing for fun. Anyways on with the story**

"I definitely don't know what you're talking about but I'm sure we can figure it out" Castle explains, trying to calm his madman captor. "Why do you think that I would have this key?"

"You recently bought a bottle of whiskey from the NYPD public auction, did you not?" George questions Castle pacing about the room with a folder in his arms.

"How do you know about that?" a quick smack in the face reminded him: "OK. You're the one asking the questions"

"Now you're learning" the man says.

"Yes I got one from the police auction. It arrived to my apartment yesterday"

"Did you look at it, once it arrived?

"I just glanced at it and put it into a box so it would stay protected. It's a gift for a special friend…"

"You mean your friend Detective Beckett?"

Castle didn't answer; he just glared back at 'George' with anger writ across his face. He knew he was barking up the wrong tree. Messing with him wasn't that bad. If he messed with Beckett, he would get not only Castle's wrath, but that wrath of Beckett and that was something to fear.

"Well Mr. Castle I'm going to need you to tell me where that bottle is"

"I can do even better, I can have someone deliver it to you" Castle says. He knows it was his only shot to try and let Beckett know where he is.

"That's not a bad idea." George tosses castle a cell phone, and pulls out a .45 pistol. "Now this is how this is going to go. You're going to call you're going to call someone, not the cops, and have them place that bottle in your mailbox in the lobby of your building. One of my associates will be by later to pick up the bottle. If that bottle isn't there, or you give them my name, or you give them any signal as to where we are, or anything suspicious happens, I will kill you, your daughter, your mother, and that pretty girlfriend of yours."

Castle gives George one last glance, and cocks his pistol as Castle dials the number he hopes will save him.

Kate impatiently waits for the door to open. Martha opens the door and Kate rushes in. "thanks Martha, where is it?"

"I believe it's in his safe in his office."

Kate slightly chuckled at the fact that Castle had a safe. She should've guessed that.

"Do you know the code?" she questions Martha.

"Well actually, you do. It's your birthday. Month and day"

A slight tear came to Beckett's eye. This ruggedly handsome man had cared about her more than she knew. She quickly wipes away the sparkling drip in her vision, hoping Martha wouldn't see it. She must have, because she placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Kate opened the safe to find a tall red box with white ribbons and a large white bow resting in the top. She hated to do it, but she unwraps the box and opens it revealing the bottle of whiskey she is all too familiar with. They had a whole murder case surrounding these bottles.

She had another tear surprise her, placing itself just below her eye, and sliding down her cheek. She knew how much this bottle meant to Castle, and the fact that he was going to give it to her was a testament to his generosity. She slides the bottle out of the box to reveal its hazel glow. The red bottle shines brighter and clearer than she remembered. She inspected its yellow label, and the contents of the bottle. Nothing stood out of the ordinary. As she rotated the bottle to inspect the other side of it, she felt something behind the label. She shredded open the label and a key slid out onto the dark redwood floors of the Castle household. Both Beckett and Martha are puzzled and inquisitively look at each other for answers.

Beckett squats down, and picks up the key. As she is inspecting it, she notices that this is a small key, one that goes to a mailbox or something similar. It was too short to open any door. Perhaps it was to a locker.

Her phone rings and answers it instinctively with "Beckett"

It's Esposito. "Yo we got something from the museum. They bought all the bottles from the auction not too long after Castle got his. The museum director said that their crew that was setting up the display for the bottles were complaining of a janitor stalking them. We went over the security footage the museum sent us and got a face. Samuel Sarentos. Did a nickel up in Jersey for B and E about six years ago. CSU confirms it was his fingerprints on the bottle that killed Sharon White. We put an APB out on him, and sent uni's to his apartment but no one was there. You find anything out with Sharon's friends?"

"No leads there" She says still inspecting the key, "but I think one just fell into my lap".

"What is it?"

"A key hidden in the label of the bottle Castle bought. Maybe it was something this guy was looking for"

"Any idea what it goes to?"

"No idea. Let's dig into Sarentos and see what we find. There's bound to be something that will stand out."

"You got it"

Kate hung up the phone, but it continued to make noise. She looked at the caller ID and it was listed as unknown. She answered it, again, as she always did in her professional voice.

"Beckett"

"…hey, I just wanted to let you know that I am alright"

"CASTLE!?" Beckett yells, caught off guard.

**So she finally hears from Castle knowing he's alive. How will the next events unfold? Only one way to know! Keep Rating and Reviewing!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry it took me so long to get this next chapter up. I had a lot going on with my new job and my birthday all in the same week. I haven't exactly had a lot of free time. Anyways I want to thank everyone for following along and reviewing. I really do appreciate it. So here is the next chapter, and there is definitely more to follow. **

"Yeah I am ok, but my friend here wants you to put the bottle of scotch I got for Beckett in the mailbox in the lobby."

"Castle, I have the key he is looking for. Let me talk to him."

Castle hands the phone to George. "It's for you"

"Yes?"

"Hi my name is detective Beckett of the NYPD. How's it going over there?"

George covers the phone and leans in towards Castle, "you called your cop girlfriend?"

"I'm at his apartment actually. I have the key you're looking for." Beckett explains

"Then when can I have what belongs to me?"

"Let's make a trade. You let Castle go, and I'll give you your key."

"Nice try. You give me the key, or I deliver him in pieces. You have 2 hours to decide. Either way, I want my key" George hangs up the phone and glares at his hostage. As he walks out of the cell he turns back towards Castle "You better hope your girlfriend gives me what I want, or you're going to pay the price"

After that, Beckett's blood is boiling. No one comes between Kate Beckett and her man. She left Castle's loft and headed towards the precinct.

Upon her arrival, Ryan meets her at the elevator. She had called the guys on the way over to fill them in on the situation. "Tell me you have some good news"

"Samuel Sarentos is in the box, waiting on you"

She reaches her desk in three steps. There is no time to waste and she knew it. She had been in these types of positions before. A kidnapping, serial killer, a nuclear bomb, none of them were more urgent than this debacle.

She glosses over Samuel's file, and heads into the interrogation room alone. She didn't need backup. If anyone needed it, it was this poor excuse of a man, now sitting in handcuffs across the table from her.

This was her element now. The interrogation room or "the box" as it's referred to by NYPDs finest, was her arena. It was the place where she can tear down the most vile criminals. Everyone in the precinct knew to let her do interrogations. She had a cold stare, and an icy look to chill the veins of any villain unlucky enough to be sitting across from Kate Beckett.

Samual Sarentos was average height, strong build. He had short, thin white hair and a thin white beard to match. He was wearing a cutoff jean vest which displayed his muscular arm and tattoos down to his handcuffs. He fitted the exact look of a stereotypical criminal.

"Mr. Sarentos, have you been advised of your rights?"

"Don't patronize me" he snaps back at her "I know how this works. If I had a nickel for every time I was interrogated, I'd be in Beverly Hills for the rest of my life."

"That's funny, because I see that you are looking at a few nickels to life, for felony abduction on top of murder"

"I didn't abduct nobody!"

"Really? We'll see about that" She flips open his file and starts roughing through the pages. She does it for effect. She already knows what she needs out of it, and it was organized before she ever left her desk. She slides out a picture and holds on to it. "Sam, I see that you were working at the America Museum of Natural History as a janitor, must've been pretty fulfilling work. It also says that you started working there just two weeks, after the Museum bought the collection of Scotch from the NYPD auction"

"So? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well the crew that was working on the display of the Scotch filed complaints against you, saying you were spying on them, and even going through some of the bottles"

"I don't know nothing about that"

"No?" she says sliding a security camera picture over to him. "Is that not you, going through some of those bottles Mr. Sarentos?"

"Fine, yeah that was me. So what, I thought about taking just one. It's worth a lot"

"But you weren't after the Scotch, were you?" Samuel's face got serious all of a sudden. Beckett continued "You were after something hidden in those bottles, and you wanted it desperately, so after you figured it wasn't there, you figured someone else must have it" He just glared at her, knowing where she was going with this. He was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. It didn't matter to him. If he didn't deliver the right bottle to his partner, he was a dead man. Beckett was still going but he was tuned out. He caught the tail end of her rant

"…and you went to her apartment, couldn't find the right bottle. She threatened to call the cops, and you killed her"

He just stared at her with a mean look, jutting out his lower jaw, grinding his teeth together.

"We have your fingerprints on the murder weapon. We know you killed her. The real question is what were you looking for?"

"You already know that detective. I knew you would come snooping around, once I saw that writer on the list of buyers. Yeah I killed her" he leans over the table and whispers "but I aint got your boyfriend"

"Then who does, Samuel? Where are they!?" She leans over the table getting closer to this now-confessed killer. "You tell me where they are right now or, so help me, I will make sure you never see the light of day again. You will rot in a dark, damp, dirty cell for the rest of your days" She sits back down in her chair. "But if you help me, I can make sure you are put in a better prison. I can lesser your charge of accessory to kidnapping"

"You can't protect me from him"

"I can protect you from anyone. Help me stop him, and I will make sure he will never find you."

He looks at her, searching for his decision to help the cops or not, and sees a fire raging in her eyes. A raging wildfire that cannot be stopped. He knew right then, he didn't want to be on the wrong side of that wildfire.

"Alright, fine. Me and this guy George were roommates back in the joint. He was in for robbery, and used to talk about all the things he had stolen looking for this key his great grandfather had left his family. He never figured out where it could be, until he learned of the stash of Scotch at that bar uptown you guys busted. His pops worked there. Helped make that scotch. So, he figured it would be there. He didn't find it in the cellar, but he found a letter, hinting it was in the scotch"

"So he sent you after it..?"

"Well he reached out to me after I got out, told me he had a job for me. The riches would be legendary"

"Legendary?"

"Yeah he said his pops used to brag about this loot he had stashed away. Loot he got from robbing a bank during WWI. Worth millions. The key he left would lead to a safety deposit box where the loot was stashed.

"Where is he hiding?"

"You want to go at him? Better be ready. This guy has nothing to lose and will go down swinging"

Beckett stares straight her suspect. She knows he knows where this guy is, and nothing will stop her.

"Bongo warehouse, off 73rd street."

Ryan and Esposito catch Beckett as she leaves the interrogation room.

"Guy we're looking for is George Hopper, 38, career criminal with a history of violent crimes. Released from New York State Penitentiary not too long ago for involuntary manslaughter. File says he went for the insanity plea during trail to lessen the charge of Murder 1." Ryan says, as he posts his picture up on the white board.

Esposito places a map up on the white board as well.

"The Bongo warehouse on the West side is mainly used for repair and maintenance for some of their shipping trucks, it's not too big, and we should be able to handle it with the three of us. Assuming it's just him inside. We can have uniforms block off the streets just around the building in case he tries to give us the slip. The streets around there have minimal traffic and shouldn't cause a problem."

Both Ryan and Esposito look at Beckett almost as if for permission. She's already throwing her jacket on when she catches their looks.

"OK let's go get him."


	9. Chapter 9

**Again, I don't own the show or the characters in it. Just writing for fun. Hope you all enjoy where the story is going. Let me know of any suggestions. There will be one more chapter. Beyond that, I'm not sure. Remember to R&R**

"You really think he's in there?" Ryan asks his partner in the passenger seat.

"We have to hope so bro" Esposito answered, loading his pistol and cocking it. "No matter what anyone else thinks, he's one of us and we're going to find him."

"Yeah but what if Sarentos is sending us on a wild goose chase?"

"From the way he was describing this George guy, he wants us to find him before this guy finds him"

They pull a block away from the warehouse, and cop cars have the street blocked off both ways. The two cops hustle out of their dark blue Crown Victoria, retrieving their gear from the trunk. Beckett meets them at their car.

"Hey, you ready for this?" Ryan asks her, tapping her shoulder.

She takes a deep breathe, trying to release the pressure building beneath her vest.

Staring down at her pistol, she checks the clip, loads, and cocks it. "Ready"

"OK let's do it" Esposito says.

They approach the front of the warehouse, stacking up against the door, just next to the vehicle bay doors Beckett stands in front of the a side door, with Ryan and Esposito leaning against the wall next to the door. Ryan looks at Beckett and they both jump with their shoulders, silently counting to three.

Beckett swings the door open and the two men go in first. Ryan goes left and Esposito stays in the middle. Beckett follows them in and goes right.

Inside the warehouse are maintenance jacks for large vehicles and equipment in the middle. Cans of oil, and old tires litter the warehouse. Built into the far wall of the warehouse is a massive closet for tools, and equipment and what looks like a conference room. A white van with a sliding door on the right side of the abandoned shed captures the nervous woman's attention. She is fighting every urge in her body to scream the name of the person she desperately must save.

They know not to make too much noise as they are trying to surprise George, so Beckett eyes Esposito and motions for him to check the van while Ryan continues his sweep of the ground floor.

Esposito slides the side door of the van open and finds a blazer, a signature look for their lost writer friend. He picks it up and looks at Beckett, he knows how nervous she is, and his expression on his face says it all to her. "At least we know he's here"

Ryan joins his team at the van "First floor is clear. There's still an office upstairs" he says pointing to a wooden staircase on the side of the conference room, leading to an area above the rooms below. Esposito drops the blazer and joins his team as they reach the stairs in a few steps. They climb each step, guns pointed at the top. Its dark at the top, and they don't know what danger awaits them in the darkness. They reach the top and peer around the corner at the top and see a dead end, all except a light on the bottom of a door.

Once again they stack up at the door and prepare to enter the unknown room. Just like before, they silently count to three and Beckett kicks the door in. The three of them do a quick left-right check and see their friend standing before them with George Hopper behind him, with a large knife at his throat.

Their writer friend looked like hell. He had a white undershirt, blood stained. He had a gash on his left cheek, with dried blood resting beneath it. His hair, shirt and pants had dirt from the floor of the office. He was missing shoes and socks as well. Not his usual look

"George Hopper, let him go!" Beckett yells.

"Drop the knife!" Ryan and Esposito chime in.

"You let me go, and I'll let him go"

"You know we can't do that Hopper. Let him go, and we all walk out of here. Don't make this any harder on yourself" Beckett tells the madman.

"I let him go, and I go back to jail. You know I can't do that. I'll die before I rot in that hell hole."

While all this is going on, Beckett and Castle's eyes are locked. His blue orbs meet her brown, engaged in a dance that neither of them dares to break. Who knew if it would be the last time their eyes would meet?

Castle knows he's been in this type of situation before. Not too long ago, the man that had murdered his beautiful muse's mother had him hostage in the home away from home that many of the people of the 12th called it. He made a move and he knew she would be there to save him, which she decisively did. He saw that same look in her eyes now, and he knew she could save his skin yet again. Who better to put his life in their hands than the woman he trusted most.

The already beaten writer said a quick prayer.

WHAM! He bangs the back of his head on the nose of his captor just as hard as he could. Thinking he could get away, he moves to his right, but the hand with the knife had stiffened as its owner received Castle's blow. The writer takes both hands and slowly pulls the knife away from him.

The detectives knew this would happen and were waiting for Castle to move away before they could take down their foe

As the hand with knife reached his hip, Castle turned to face his adversary. Now there were four arms competing for the one knife. He looks eye to eye with his crazed would-be-killer and can see the hate and fear in his eyes. This man had nothing to lose and was going down fighting. George releases his left hand from his other arm and reaches behind him to draw his pistol causing Castle to gain the upper hand and force the blade to the floor.

Before he could pull his sidearm in front of him, his hostage had moved away and the three detectives open fire, gunning George Hopper down in a blaze of gunpowder and metal projectiles. The captor falls lifeless to the ground as fast as his weight can carry him, causing a solid thud on the floor. Two detectives approach the deceased villain, and one rushes for the stunned writer on the floor.

Beckett cups his face with her hands and looks deep into his eyes.

"Castle! Are you alright?"

He grins from ear to ear. Her concern for him was a welcome sight. She was always hard, tough, and determined. She rarely showed her He knows the truth though.

"I am now" he answered.

She leans forward and wraps her arms around his neck, burying her head just over his shoulder. "I thought I'd lost you"

"Me? C'mon, it takes more than a madman to take out the great Richard Castle"

She smiled at his 'Castle' humor. Oh how she missed that. Just one day apart had felt like an eternity.

"Really bro? Cause it looks like all it would take is a right hook" Esposito chimes in.

"Yeah. Looks like you went a few rounds with him" Ryan adds

"Oh really?" Beckett releases Castle and helps him to his feet, dusting him off. "You should see the other guy." They all turn to see the lifeless villain being carted off by a medical team and share a collective laugh.

"Glad you're alright bro" Ryan says as the room clears except for Castle and Beckett.

Beckett hugs the writer once again. This time, he feels her embrace, her warmth, and her comfort. "I'm so glad you're safe" She says, putting her head on his chest. Castle wraps his arms around his partner and places his cheek against her hair inhaling her aroma. The scent of cherries sent him to the moon and back in just a few breaths.

They got lost together, enjoying each other's embrace. Beckett leaned back against Castle's hands and looked up at him glowing with contentment.

"Why Detective Beckett, if I didn't know any better, I would say you missed me."

She looked down at the ground and could only spare a glance back at him.

"Maybe just a little" she replies. "We should get you down to the medics and get you checked out."


	10. Chapter 10

**Again, I don't own Castle, or the characters. ****Here is finale. I hope it is what everyone is hoping for**

"Alright Mr. Castle, you seem to be fine minus a few bumps and bruises, and that cut on your cheek. Just make sure to keep it clean. We've got you on an IV to hydrate you. Once this bag is done, you're free to go"

Beckett approaches the ambulance as the medic hops out the back. "Hey, what'd the medic say?"

"He says that I'm lucky to be alive with how handsome I am. Ladies should've torn me apart by now." He replies with a smile.

She gives a laugh "somehow I severely doubt that."

"She could've!"

Beckett climbs in the back of the ambulance and holds his hand, stroking the top of his with her thumb. A comfortable silence takes over them. They enjoy just being near one another. There is so much to say to each other but neither of them can bring themselves to phrase it just right. Castle decides to break the silence first.

"Sorry about not picking you up for our Hamptons trip. I was a little distracted" he says with a chuckle.

"Yeah, there's always next weekend though."

He pauses, and takes a collective breath. He had made a bet with himself that if he got out of there, he would go for broke and try to be with her. He didn't know exactly where she was, but he knew where he was. Judging by her reaction of seeing him, and her excitement now, he thought she wouldn't be opposed to it. This ordeal had really shown him just how valuable time with loved ones really is. He decided that he didn't want to waste anymore.

"I have something I want to say…" He starts.

"Dad!" Alexis yells as she approaches.

"It's ok" Beckett says "It can wait" she hops down off the ambulance and turns to give Castle a smile.

"But I can't" he replies.

"I know. There's time" Castle smiles as Beckett turns away and the young redhead jumps into his arms.

Later that night Castle walks into his apartment after a long day. After the medics let him go, he went to the precinct to thank everyone for rescuing him, especially Beckett. He didn't have a chance to talk to her alone like he wanted. She had caught a case and had to run out but told him they would talk later. Now he was in his loft surrounded by his loving mother and daughter, but couldn't help but feel a slight feeling of longing. Lost in his deep thought the girls had put on a movie and popped popcorn. Castle decided he would text Kate. He knew he wanted to see her; maybe she wanted to see him as well. Maybe just seeing her name on his phone would release some of the need to see her.

**-Are you at home?**

Kate was expecting him to call or text, so she responded right away.

**-On the way there now. How are you doing?**

She knew what he was thinking, but gave him a chance to bring it up. He had tried to talk to her all day, but never gotten the chance. Like him, she had decided that she is done waiting, done flirting, and done chasing. She wanted to be with him, and she didn't want to waste any time either. Crossing that line is going to be hard for someone like Kate Beckett, but she wouldn't shy away from it like she had before.

Castle took a deep breath and put his serious face on. He was going to do this. No interruptions, no distractions.

**-I need to see you**

She smiled at that message as she pressed the button on the elevator. She knew exactly where she was going.

**-Me too**

"Something wrong Dad?" He snapped out of his daze and tried to remember what was going on.

"Just fine sweetie. Was just thinking about everything today"

"The events, or a certain someone?" Martha asks as she takes a sip of her Merlot.

"You see right through me, Mother"

Martha places her hand on his shoulder and leans towards him. "Go to her" she says. As if he wasn't thinking of that already.

Castle got up off the couch, grabbing the attention of the two women he is now with.

"Where are you off to?" Alexis inquires.

"I'm sorry sweetie but I have something that I need to do and I can't put it off any longer"

His daughter smiles at him "It's about time. I was going to have plans with Jessica tonight thinking you were going to be with Detective Beckett"

"Am I that predictable?" he asks laughing.

"You're easier to read than your books"

He grabs his coat and heads to the door.

"Wish me luck!"

He opens the door and there she is.

As beautiful as ever in her jeans and t-shirt with a leather jacket wrapped about her. Her flowing curly hair blanketed her shoulders. Her smile put everything together as the complete package. She was smiling with her fist in the air, ready to knock on the door. She was glowing with excitement hoping for the moments to come.

"Wow, I'd love to see that every time I open the door. I was just on my way to see you."

"I know. I couldn't wait"

"Would you like to come in?"

"I'd love to"

She enters the loft and the two redheads walk past the detective out the door.

"I'm off to hang out with Jessica. I'll be back tomorrow morning"

"…and im off to a party for my actors. Don't wait up kiddo" Martha adds.

They both give Beckett their goodbyes and leave quickly.

"I guess we have the place to ourselves then" he laughs

With the sound of the door closing Beckett takes her jacket off and places it on the couch. Castle prays the writer in him would force the right words from his throat.

"Can I offer you something to drink?"

"Sure Castle."

She watched him scurry about the kitchen grabbing glasses, and fumbling around to find the wine opener. She couldn't help but be amused at his awkwardness, bringing a warm smile to her complexion. He always could find a way to make her laugh, even if he didn't know it himself. Laughter never used to find its way into her day, but since Richard Castle has come along, it's found its way to her lungs every day.

The detective could sense his nervousness and approached him in the kitchen as he poured to glasses of the dark red elixir. She leaned her side into the counter placing one hand on the counter, just next to him. She looked up with a warm reassuring smile, to soothe his nerves. As he handed her the glass, her palm grazed his ever so slightly. Her light and smooth touch causing pulses of electricity to course through his spine.

If she can electrify him with one touch and a look, it amazed him to think what a kiss would do. This wasn't just some woman to bring home. This was Kate Beckett, his friend and partner. He shouldn't be nervous. If anything this should feel right, and comforting. With a collective sigh, the right words made their way from his heart to his tongue.

"I want to thank you for saving my life."

"It's no problem Castle. You would've done the same for me."

"I sure would." He answers. "I was thinking…"

"Really thinking? That must be tough for you"

"….yeah, tell me about it. But I have to be honest, the whole time I was trapped in that room, I could only think of seeing you one more time and telling you how I really feel"

"…go on"

"I love you Kate Beckett. I'm not sure how you feel about m…."

He couldn't finish his sentence that was on the tip of his tongue, because she had captured his with hers, pulling him towards her with her hands on his neck. As the kiss moved more passionately, she slides her hands up through his hair. He pulled her into him by her hips, his grip matching the intensity of their heated exchange. Three years of teasing, joking, jealousy, promises, and all matter of things in between have led to this moment. A moment that neither wanted to end, for fear of awaking from their blissful dream. With the pair fighting for dominance, their intensity increases. They break, panting, trying to catch their breath, resting their foreheads against one another's.

"We have waited long enough" Beckett says in between pants. "I love you too Castle"

He can no longer contain himself and picks her up, causing her to wrap her legs around his waist. He takes her to the couch laying her down and initiates another heated exchange.

Beckett starts to unbutton his shirt but he pulls away and looks down at the beautiful women and sees her eyes meeting his with passionate desire.

"I don't want to move to fast. We haven't even gone on a date. I want this to be right"

"Like I said Castle, we have waited long enough" She crosses the living room and just outside his bedroom she turns around to see him watching in awe.

"Are you coming? Don't make me get my gun and cuffs"

"Kinky" Castle says with a smile.

"Like I said before, you have no idea."

**I want to thank everyone for the reviews and for following with me through the story. I also want to encourage more reviews. Feedback is crucial to improvement. I hope everyone enjoyed the story, that way I can continue making more. This was my first FF and first attempt at writing so let me know how I did! **


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